The Potter County portion had the nation's largest natural gas reserve. From 1978 to 2002, the Junior League of Amarillo and the city of Amarillo's Parks and Recreation Department co-sponsored Funfest, a family entertainment festival, benefiting the city parks and the league's Community Chest Trust Fund. Amarillo is the 168th largest United States radio market in autumn 2005 designated by the radio audience research company, Arbitron. Siemens Government Technologies also operates in Amarillo, providing technological solutions for infrastructure, energy, and healthcare. "Amarillo" redirects here. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. A popular Americana bar, Leftwoods is a favorite spot for those 21 and older. Bush named the north to south streets for past United States presidents, in chronological order except for John Quincy Adams because the surname was taken with the second president, John Adams. But, the Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum is also home to the North American Hockey League team, the Raging Bulls. While the mayor serves as a presiding officer of the commission, the city manager is the administrative head of the municipal government and is responsible for the administration of all departments. If you're looking for an Amarillo home, contact The RealFX Group at (512) 956-7390 to get in touch with an experienced local real estate agent and discover your Amarillo dream home today. [28] The tallest peak is reported to be 2,500 feet (760m) underground in northeast Potter County under the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. The cost of living in Amarillo, including apartment rentals, is slightly less than its nearest Texas city, Dallas. Amarillo residents Dory Funk, Stanley Blackburn and Doc Sarpolis promoted the territory for several decades. [32] Since its conception in the 1990s, Center City has sponsored public art projects and started block parties in the downtown area. The last passenger train out of the city was the Santa Fe Railroad's San Francisco Chief, from Chicago, which had its last run in 1971. They are some thousands of feet underground. Best Thing On The Internet Today? [69], The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) is funded by a city sales tax, and it provides aggressive incentive packages to existing and prospective employers. In 1929, Ernest O. Thompson, a decorated World War I general and a major businessman in Amarillo, was elected mayor to succeed Lee Bivins. In 1949, a deadly F4 tornado devastated much of Amarillo, shortly after nightfall on May 15, tearing through the south and east sides of the city, killing seven people, and injuring more than 80 others. Houston, TX 44 F Clear. The United States government, through the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, provided the funding to build the facility, while the Texas government will run it after construction is completed. West Texas A&M University, a regional university headquartered in nearby Canyon, has a campus building in downtown Amarillo. Film fans will enjoy the Cadillac Ranch. . The Amarillo area is an outdoor playground. Over 23 bus routes criss-cross the area. The role of the commission is to pass ordinances and resolutions, adopt regulations, and appoint city officials, including the city manager. Approximately 14million acres (57,000km2) of agricultural land surrounds the city with corn, wheat, and cotton as the primary crops. At first called Oneida, the city originated in 1887 as a railroad construction camp and in the 1890s grew . Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town. On August 30, 1887, Berry's town site won the county seat election and was established in Potter County. [90] In 2019, the Texas League's San Antonio Missions relocated to Amarillo as the Amarillo Sod Poodles and play at the $45.5 million Hodgetown. You may recognize quite a few of the iconic landmarks found in the canyon, but there's still others that you just might have not seen yet! [34] Completed in the same year as the FirstBank Southwest Tower, the Amarillo National Bank Plaza One building houses the headquarters of Amarillo National Bank, the city's largest financial institution. [20], Following the lead of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad established services to and from Amarillo. Maps | More Weather. I'm always down for a good brain challenge. The Amarillo metropolitan area covers four counties: Armstrong, Carson, Potter, and Randall. There is also an American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame exhibited in the museum. Peaks of the Amarillo Mountains range from 2500 to 10,000 feet high. Tradewind is three miles southeast of the city's center. Lake Meredith is located northeast of Amarillo and in 2005 it contained at least 114billion US gallons (430,000,000m3) of water. It is in the 87th District in the Texas House of Representatives, having been represented by Republican David A. Swinford since 1991. The hockey season runs from mid-September to April. This eventually led to another county seat election making Sanborn's town the new county seat in 1893. [121][122], On May 5, 2020, Amarillo ranked 13th in the nation for Highest Average Daily Growth Rate of COVID-19 cases by the New York Times.[123]. [135] TxDOT has planned multiple multi-level interchanges that intersect with Interstate 40, Interstate 27, and U.S. 287 and 87. Amarillo's largest parks are Medical Park, Thompson Memorial Park, and Memorial Park, near Amarillo College's Washington Street Campus. Thanks to the flat desert terrain, The Loop offers views of the entire metroplex, and at sunset, the experience is quite spectacular. I'm still trying to wrap my feeble brain around this. The canyon is a prominent mountain biking destination and hosts the annual 50-mile Palo Duro Canyon Trail Run. There is a vast array of housing styles in Amarillo. She returned to the show again in season 9 and advanced to the top 12 but was eliminated from the program on March 17, 2010. [22] The arrival of servicemen and their families ended the city's depression. And don't forget the 806's "Southwest So What" festival each March a counter to Austin's SXSW Music and Film festival. Local millionaire Stanley Marsh 3 funded many public art projects in the city including the Cadillac Ranch, located west of Amarillo on Interstate 40, a monument of painted Cadillac automobiles that were dug into the ground head first. On the northern side of Amarillo, the loop will be completely reconstructed to an Interstate-Grade freeway with complete grade separations and will be expanded to four lanes. Medicine is a growing profession in Amarillo. The major local newspaper is the Amarillo Globe-News, owned by GateHouse Media, was a combination of three newspapers: Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo Globe, and Amarillo Times. Nicknamed "The Grand Canyon of Texas," it is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 feet deep. A portion of the former Amarillo Air Force Base was converted to civilian use and became part of the airport. If ranching is in your future, the plentiful and affordable land surrounding Amarillo could be the place. The underground structures known as Amarillo Mountains are an extension of the Arbuckles of Oklahoma and the Ouachita of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Wonderland Amusement Park is one of the best things to do for families in Amarillo. After the end of the war, both of the facilities were closed. This is above the national average. Ours are just better at playing hide and seek, I guess. It does not share similar weather characteristics with south and east Texas. [81] The nonprofit community theater group, Amarillo Little Theatre, has its season run from September to May. Another option is the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum highlighting area fossils and natural history. Due to the lack of developed drainage, much of the rainfall either evaporates, infiltrates into the ground, or accumulates in playa lakes. The roads and highways also name many areas or neighborhoods, such as "Route 66" or "The Loop.". From Amarillo lots of crazy shit happened back in the day. While the fossil fuel industry, including oil, gas, and helium, remains supportive of the area, the availability of jobs related to renewable energy increases. Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport is a public airport located 10 miles (16km) east of the central business district of Amarillo, north of Interstate 40. Most call it 'West Sixth Street' when its actually SW Sixth Avenue. The closest Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagan meeting officially advertised is located a 5-hour plus drive in Denton, TX despite there being a UU congregation in Amarillo it does not host a CUUPs chapater. Amarillo, Texas, is the pride of the Texas Panhandle. It's always a fun time looking up address or cities and seeing them from a satellite point of view. [87] Outside of the building is a steel structure called the Helium Monument which has time capsules and designates Amarillo the "Helium Capital of the World. For a traditional dance club, 212 Club caters to dancers of all ages. Berry and Colorado City, Texas, merchants wanted to make their new town site the region's main trading center. Another notable trial in Amarillo includes the Fort Worth-area murder case of T. Cullen Davis, which involved one of the richest men in the United States, his former wife, and her daughter and boyfriend. The Eastridge neighborhood houses many immigrants from countries such as Vietnam, Laos, and Burma. January and February record the city's coldest temperatures, and both ice and snow are possible. The location of this facility also gave rise to the nickname "Bomb City". Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2006, houses the Amarillo Opera, Amarillo Symphony, and Lone Star Ballet concerts. Approximately 8.1% of the population were of another Christian faith. The trial was moved from Fort Worth to Amarillo in 1977 on a change of venue. No fatalities were reported. For other uses, see, Location within Potter and Randall Counties, with Potter to the north, 7910179111, 79114, 7911679121, 7912379124, 79159, 79163, 7916679168, 7917179172, 79174, 79178, 79182, 79185, 79187, 79189, This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. The range was discovered by pioneer oilmen. The city commission holds its regular meetings on Tuesday of each week. Beef production remains one of the largest industries in the Panhandle, producing 88% of Texas' beef and 30% of the nation's beef. has helped the lake regain much of its volume. This of course means they're very, very old. Extreme temperatures range from 16F (26.7C) on February 12, 1899 to 111F (43.9C) on June 26, 2011, but lows do not typically dip to 0F or 17.8C in most years, while highs above 100F or 37.8C are seen on 4.7 days on average. The Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument provides for a fascinating day of exploration. These storms can be severe: Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle are situated in the western portion of "Tornado Alley" and are prone to severe weather events, occurring primarily between April and July. If so, you know that the panhandle of the Lone Star State isn't know for snow capped peaks. Loop 335 circles around Amarillo in all four directions and consists of four-lane roadway on its northeast and southwest quadrants and two-lane paving to the southeast and northwest. was formed when an underground river collapsed. That part of Amarillo within Randall County is represented by Swinford's Republican colleague, John T. Smithee, who has served in the 86th District since 1985. Large ranches exist in the Amarillo area; among others, the defunct XIT Ranch and the still functioning JA Ranch founded in 1877 by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair. [130], Local transit services in the city have been available since 1925 and have been provided through the City of Amarillo's Amarillo City Transit (ACT) department since 1966; before that time the system was privately owned. U.S. The city gained national media attention in 1998 when local cattlemen unsuccessfully sued television talk show host Oprah Winfrey for comments made on her show connecting American beef to mad cow disease, costing them and their industry millions of dollars. [148] Increased rainfall in recent years[when?] And, as the stars come out, this quiet little city comes alive. [27] Approximately 25 miles (40km) south of Amarillo is the canyon system, Palo Duro Canyon. The city is situated near the Panhandle Field, in a productive gas and oil area, covering 200,000 acres (800 km2) in Hartley, Potter, Moore, Hutchinson, Carson, Gray, Wheeler, and Collingsworth counties. The locals cheer, "Fangs Up!". [146] The Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Home opened in 2007. [47] Amarillo is also recorded as the windiest city in the U.S. by the Weather Channel. Another part of Amarillo's sporting history was its roots in professional wrestling. The city's original street layout was set up by William H. Bush, beginning at the west end of the town moving to the east. Amarillo is known as "cattle-feeding" country. Other members include the Amarillo's public schools, Amarillo College, Canyon Area Library, Lovett Memorial Library in Pampa, Texas, and Hutchinson County Library in Borger, Texas. It also includes a stack interchange that will connect the new freeway to the future I-27 Ports to Plains Corridor (Highway 287, 87). Weather Underground provides local & long-range weather forecasts, weatherreports, maps & tropical weather conditions for the Amarillo area. Pantex is about 20 miles from downtown Amarillo. Much of the area around the city includes working ranches. The Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum features a collection of Native American artifacts and provides dance performances. A helipad is available. [133] As of 2003, the city still has 16.2 miles (26.1km) of brick streets in some parts of the downtown area. Unlike in the Rio Grande Valley or eastern portions of Texas, days where the low does not fall below 70F or 21.1C are relatively rare, due to the aridity and elevation. Two of the Amarillo area's higher education institutions have at least one museum in their campuses. [11], The settlement originally was called Oneida; it later changed its name to Amarillo, which probably derived from yellow wildflowers that were plentiful during the spring and summer or the nearby Amarillo Lake and Amarillo Creek, named in turn for the yellow soil along their banks and shores (Amarillo is the Spanish word for the color yellow). . Visit The Amarillo Civic Center for indoor stage productions home to the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra and the Lone Star Ballet. "[11] Near the proximity of the Discovery Center, the Amarillo Botanical Gardens has gardens, indoor exhibits, and a library for visitation throughout the year. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 37.0F (2.8C) in January to 78.3F (25.7C) in July. [37], Amarillo's historic homes and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places reflect the economic growth from around 1900 to the start of World War II. [18] The plant was the sole producer of commercial helium in the world for a number of years. The depth from land surface to the base of the aquifer can range from the land surface to as much as 1000 feet below surface. Route 66 Motor Speedway, a 3/8 mile clay, high-bank oval track, sits east of the city. [95][96] Amarillo's commission is composed of five elected commissioners, one of whom is the mayor of the city. It's a deceptive altitude increase when coming from Oklahoma City. Amarillo was the title of the third episode of the second season of AMC's drama Better Call Saul, a spin-off of the hit drama Breaking Bad. Though urbanization, agricultural farming, and construction have occurred over the last century in and around Amarillo, the native grasslands that dominate this region have remained largely untouched. The Amarillo Mountains are underground. Amarillo AMA Cheyenne CYS Amarillo Weather Weather Conditions and Forecast Salina, KS Regional Radar Nearby Personal Weather Stations WunderMap Radar Customize, add layers and zoom in & out. [79] On the Tri-State Exposition grounds, the Amarillo National Center is a special events center for events ranging from national equestrian competitions to motor sports and rodeos. This of course means they're very, very old. [29], Most of Amarillo's population growth and commercial development are occurring in the southern and northwestern parts of the city. Amarillo's major network television affiliates are KACV-TV 2 (PBS), KAMR 4 (NBC), KVII 7 (ABC), KFDA 10 (CBS), KCIT 14 (Fox), and KCPN-LD 33 (MyNet). The Lone Star Football League team Amarillo Venom and the NAHL Jr. A hockey team, the Amarillo Bulls both play in the Amarillo Civic Center. Amarillo offers options for renters or those looking for a more permanent location. is located in this small town near Amarillo, it is well-deserving of a spot on our list. [8] The Amarillo-Pampa-Borger combined statistical area had an estimated population of 308,297 as of 2020. In 2015, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) published the plans for the all new Loop 335 freeway that encircles the city of Amarillo. Tom Blasingame, considered to have been the oldest cowboy in the history of the American West, worked for seventy-three years, primarily, on the JA Ranch south of Amarillo. North of downtown the highway becomes US 87 & 287 and continues northward to Dumas, Texas.[64]. Availability of the railroad and freight service after the county seat election made the town a fast-growing cattle-marketing center. The airport offers both an outdoor self-parking lot, valet parking, and car rental. Amarillo Weather Forecasts. Amarillo's downtown is thrift central. 14. He joined the Texas Railroad Commission by appointment in 1933 and was elected to full terms in 1934, 1940, 1946, 1952, and 1958. The Texas Pharmacy Museum claims to be the only Texas museum specialized in the research, collection, preservation, and exhibition of the history of pharmacy, is also located in the city's hospital district. Amarillo's primary and secondary education is handled by five different school districts:[111][112], From 1922 to 1938, the author Laura Vernon Hamner, who wrote a novelized biography of Charles Goodnight, served as the Potter County school superintendent. In Amarillo, the southern plains meet the desert.